I actually called this one last April. There was just no denying all season long that from top to bottom North Carolina was the best team in college basketball this season.

The Tar Heels murdered Michigan State tonight in a game that was never close and never competitive. Tyler Hansbrough won his first title and now moves onto the NBA and Ty Lawson is probably going with him. Wayne Ellington was the MOP.

Congratulations to Michigan State on a great season. The Spartans played well and I don't mean to take anything away from them. Conference talk, future NBA talk, and history aside the guys in the baby blue jerseys were just better.

Now it's time to start discussing next year. Earlier last week I threw out a quick top 25. I will update it in a few days when a few more underclassmen make NBA decisions. For now you can check it out here.

I've had North Carolina since last April and I won't change that tonight. The Tar Heels are just too talented for Michigan State in my opinion. We've already seen this happen once before, back in November at Ford Field. North Carolina murdered the Spartans 98-63. It was MSU's worst loss since 1996.

That won't happen again.

But North Carolina will win. And they will not let there be a whole lot of questioning it. Ty Lawson will have a big game but the MOP will be Tyler Hansbrough.

Why Hansbrough? Because tonight is all about him. If Psycho T doesn't win tonight his legacy will be tarnished forever with an asterisk. The greats usually win national titles, especially the greats we remember.

Michigan State sticks around for a while but UNC makes a run with 10 minutes left to put it away. Congrats to both teams for being here. I look forward to a great game and I will have some sort of analysis afterwards.

What is going to happen at the Final Four? I will give you my best thoughts as the best week progresses, but here's the first few things you may want to know about the four team teams at the Final Four:

Best Player at the Final Four: Ty Lawson I actually think Lawson is the best player in the country (non Blake Griffin category). He sets up everything in North Carolina's offense and when he is playing well the Tar Heels are almost impossible to beat. Lawson is the key to a UNC championship. Don't be fooled by the hype for Tyler Hansbrough.

Notable Possible Rematch: North Carolina-Michigan State

The last time these two teams played was December 3rd and it was ironically at Ford Field. The Tar Heels won 98-63 behind Tyler Hansbrough's 23 points. After the game someone said "See you in April" to UNC head coach Roy Williams. He replied with "I will be back and I hope my team is with me." Well guess what Roy? They are.

Points Per Game in the Tournament: North Carolina 88.75 Connecticut 87.25 Villanova 81 Michigan State 70.5

Points Allowed Per Game in the Tournament: Michigsn State 61.25 Connecticut 62 North Carolina 66.25 Villanova 66.5

If you give a point for each stat (not counting the wins by five or less or winning margin) in a 4-3-2-1 format you end up with this:Point System Totals: North Carolina 21 Connecticut 18 Michigan State 18 Villanova 13

It's really interesting that the team that causes the most turnovers (North Carolina) also turns it over the least. Michigan State is the most efficient team offensively based off leading all four teams in 3PT% and FT% but they also score the least amount of PPG due to their slow it down type tempo. Also UNC hasn't even played a close game yet outside of the LSU game, where they pulled away late. I had the Tar Heels last April winning the national title this year and they are the team to beat this April. I won't reveal my picks just yet though.

11:04 PM: Utah knocks off San Diego State in a huge game for the MWC lead. With their high RPI & SOS the Utes are now looking a 7 seed or higher.

10:56 PM: Utah leads San Diego State late in the firat half. Following that game the live blog will sign off for tonight and my brand new bracketology will be posted.

10:22 PM: North Carolina knocks off Duke 101-87. How about the Tar Heels scoring 101 points in Cameron Indoor? Like I've said all year, North Carolina appears to be the nation's best team.

10:02 PM: Tonight's games are wrapping themselves up as UNC and Oklahoma have now opened up sizeable leads. Creighton knocked off Bradley as well. The one big game remaining tonight is San Diego State-Utah.

9:54 PM: Ty Lawson has taken over the Duke-UNC game in the second half. North Carolina has a 88-71 lead over Duke with under four minutes left. It is Duke's fourth straight loss to North Carolina at home.

9:44 PM: LSU wins at Mississippi State 97-94 in 2OT! What a win for the Tigers. It keeps LSU in first place in the SEC West and keeps them in my bracketology (which will be released around 11 CT).

9:36 PM: North Carolina is on a huge run to grab the lead against Duke. The Tar Heels lead 73-69 with 8:37 left to play.

9:28 PM: LSU-Mississippi State is now in 2OT. This is a HUGE game in the SEC West.

9:20 PM: I can already say this.....Duke-North Carolina has been one of the best played games of the year. Duke leads 58-56 right now.

In a huge game in the SEC LSU leads Mississippi State 77-76 in overtime. San Diego State-Utah is now underway as well.

9:07 PM:

dan, Would a UNC loss tonight be enough to knock them down from a #1 seed in your bracketology...for now at least? And how many losses does OU need to take to drom them from a #1?-vshman

A loss would certainly make things interesting. A Duke win would move the Blue Devils up to the 1 seed line and in turn drop North Carolina to a 2 (I think). Oklahoma really needs to just keep winning because their lack of a big road win is going to kill them if they start losing games.

9:02 PM: Oklahoma is leading Baylor 35-30 at halftime. I should've already mentioned this game before now, but I've been blown away by the great offensive play in the North Carolina-Duke game.

8:57 PM: A lot of bubble teams- BYU, Tennessee, Wisconsin - took care of business tonight or are in the process of taking care of business tonight. In another note Memphis' Conference USA winning streak will continue as they blow out Tulsa .

8:54 PM: Duke outplayed North Carolina after trailing 28-18 early. The lead at the half is 52-44. That means the Blue Devils outscored UNC 34-16 over the rest of the half after trailing by ten. The Blue Devils are lighting it up.

8:35 PM: How about Duke ? The Blue Devils were just down 10 points but they are now within one, 34-33, of North Carolina in the first half at Cameron Indoor. Dick Vitale looks like a five year old on Christmas morning that just saw the big present underneath the tree.

8:31 PM: Great questions from pittbaster tonight:Looks like the Vols are playing with a chip on their shoulder. Impressive so far, albeit against the likes of Georgia. Where do you see them finishing in the SEC East mess, and what seed do you think it'll land them?- pittbaster

Tennessee looks like the team that will win the SEC East if they can knock off Florida again and beat Kentucky in Lexington. Right now I think Florida also has a great shot to win the East. Right now I have Tennessee as a 9 seed because of their bad losses (like Auburn). If they win the SEC East and win the SEC Tournament they could get a 5. If not they will probably finish in the 6-9 seed range.

8:23 PM: Dayton finished off their upset of Xavier , which really opens up the Atlantic 10 to a very very good chance at two NCAA Tournament bids. Meanwhile North Carolina leads Duke 28-18. Keep sending in your questions!

8:17 PM:

I don't see how losing @ the number one team in the country hurts a resume. Syracuse's resume is exactly the same as it was yesterday, in my eyes. They'll be fine. -pittbaster

The loss to the #1 ranked team in the country won't hurt them but five losses in six games will. Plus their Big East record is only 6-6. They are VERY far from a lock at this point, and I think their seed in my bracketology might open some eyes.

8:12 PM: North Carolina State has finished off its upset of #6 Wake Forest 82-76. The Demon Deacons seed is dropping like a rock off the Empire State Building at this point. Right now the Demon Deacons chances of a 1 seed are very low unless they win the ACC Tournament.

8:07 PM: North Carolina and Duke is underway.

8:00 PM: Connecticut knocked off Syracuse , explaining that last question by boogieboy. The Huskies will remain the #1 team in the country.

7:51 PM:

Dan, can you see Syracuse playing themselves out of the tournament. They will have lost 5 of 6. Losing by double digits to the big three in the BE. Throw in their home loss to Cleveland St and their resume looks pretty weak. Looking at their schedule, I can see at least 3 or 4 more loses.-boogieboy

Syracuse is falling towards the bubble very fast, but I don't still don't see them missing the NCAA Tournament. The reason is because the Big East has went from nine potential teams going to the Big Dance to just 7 in my latest projection. I really think Syracuse will get in, but it is starting to get wishy washy for the Orange and their fans. Could they miss the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons?

7:31 PM: Another great question.

Dan I'm from Rhode Island but I'm a Duke fan. I haven't seen them (URI) in your bracket so I was wondering if you thought they have any chance at an at large bid. *This might have been off topic but URI's playing tonight.-Gocavs33

Nothing is off topic if it is a NCAA Tournament question. At this point Rhode Island has little chance for an at large bid after another promising start to the season. The computer numbers don't add up and neither do the lack up big wins.

7:21 PM: What North Carolina State is doing to Wake Forest should be illegal. Remember when the Demon Deacons were #1 in the country? That seems like an eternity ago now.

7:14 PM: I just got home in time to watch the 2nd half of the UConn-Cuse game...can the 'Cuse hold on to the finish, to make it VERY interesting?- vshman

If they are going to then they have to withstand this Connecticut run. Right now the Huskies have their biggest lead of the night, five.

7:10 PM:

Dan if Wake lose tonight, Will you think about bringing them down to a 3 seed? -bskballer89

Honestly it will drop them to AT LEAST a 3 seed. The Demon Deacons struggles on the road are getting a little ridiculous at this point. How can a team that can't win a big game away from home win in the NCAA Tournament?

7:07 PM: #1 Connecticut is in trouble at home. Connecticut and Syracuse are tied 30-30 early in the second half. Syracuse needs a big win for their NCAA Tournament resume and this could be it.

6:57 PM: Duke-North Carolina is about an hour away, but the winner of that might get a little less attention if the score at N. C. State holds up. The Wolfpack lead #6 Wake Forest 42-34 at halftime. Apparently WF can beat anyone in Winston-Salem but nobody slightly talented away from there.

6:53 PM: In between my dinner and these great games it has been a great night, unless your Penn State. The Nittany Lions are down 48-31 to a Purdue team playing without its best player. I don't get it, but I guess the Nittany Lions have decided they want to go back to their terrible basketball program instead of the one that gave Penn State fans hope for a couple of weeks.

6:38 PM: I haven't really given any mention to this game but so far North Carolina State is beating Wake Forest in the first half. The Demon Deacons have had trouble in road ACC games and it looks like that trend is still going in that direction.

6:33 PM: Dayton is impressing me a lot tonight. I Picked the Flyers to win but they are truly just outplaying Xavier in the first half. The crowd is loud and the Muskteers look a little bit shooked early. At this point Xavier is losing 22-14 and still making almost 50% (6 of 13) of their shots.

6:28 PM: Just a minute ago it was Dayton dominating Xavier in every facet of the game, but now the Musketeers are making a run. In Connecticut the Huskies are in trouble early. You know, the number one ranked Connecticut Huskies.Syracuse is playing them well midway through the first half.

6:23 PM: Without Robbie Hummel Purdue leads Penn State 28-26 at halftime. The Nittany Lions have Minnesota, Illinois, and Ohio State up next so they'd like to win this one to improve their standing in the selection committee's eyes. Neither team is shooting it well and both teams are playing pretty good defense, which has resulted in the low score.

6:15 PM: Here's an early score rundown of games that affect NCAA Tournament bids:

6:11 PM: How about Dayton's start against Xavier ? Make sure it's noted that I did pick the Flyers to win tonight against Xavier, and so far theya re playing well. The lead is 8-1 Dayton VERY early.

6:01 PM: Penn State leads 21-16 after back to back threes. The Nittany Lions know how important this game is to their NCAA Tournament hopes and so far in the first half they are playing like they have something to prove. That might be because they do have something to prove. Syracuse-Connecticut is among the games about to tip.

5:45 PM: The first tv timeout is called in the Purdue-Penn State game with the score tied 7-7 early. It looks like the first team to 40 will win this one. In about 15 minutes some other games get underway, but I will continue following this one.

5:33 PM: Just so it's known Robbie Hummel is NOT playing tonight for Purdue , as expected. That's not good for the Boilermakers but at least they are at home tonight against a Penn State team that has already beat them once this year.

5:11 PM: In the words of Terrell Owens get your popcorn ready because tonight's action gets under way in about 19 minutes. I know I've already talked a little bit about this huge Penn State-Purdue game but I don't think people understand the magnitude of it. The loser will have dropped its third consecutive game and at this time of the year that can be deadly.

4:50 PM: This game to get at least a share of the regular season title is more important for Utah. -sdfananduclafan

I disagree sdfananduclfan. I think this game is really more important for San Diego State than it is for Utah . The reason is because the Utes are #13 in the RPI and #14 in the SOS, which equals an at large bid unless the selection commitee wants to make Utah the highest team (by far) in the RPI ever to miss the NCAA Tournament.

4:42 PM:

No pick on the Duke-NC game? I'm liking Duke, to hand Hansbrough his first Cameron loss... Any chance of Tulsa or Syracuse pulling off huge upsets on the road tonight? I say no...but would love to see either. I saw an interesting question on your thread about Nebraska's tourney chances vs. K-State's...thoughts? I think it's very possible that Baylor could catch OU tonight. But being an OU fan, ending our 29 game win streak over Baylor, with one of our best teams EVER, would be a shame!

Some great questions from vshman. I will take them one by one.

I really think Duke has a great chance to win tonight against North Carolina , but I think the Tar Heels are the nation's best team and that even at Cameron tonight that will show. I don't see Tulsa or Syracuse winning tonight, but Memphis ' streak is going to end eventually. I really think the next time the Tigers will be in trouble is against UAB in Bartow Arena later this month.

I saw the question about Nebraska but haven't had a chance to respond. The main reason Kansas State is getting and publicity is because of their five game winning streak and their impressive victory over Texas during that streak. The problem is that the win over Texas is looking less and less impressive with every Longhorns loss. Nebraska is in the picture (and they have a win over KSU) but they need to keep winning and find a few statement wins for their resume.

The problem for Oklahoma tonight is that Baylor is playing a MUST win game while Oklahoma is just playing another game on their schedule against a weak Big 12. Baylor should be more hungry, although they are less talented.

3:47 PM: It just doesn't get any better than this boys and girls. College basketball is really a weekend sport that has big games spread out during the week, but rarely does a Wednesday stack up like this one does. Sure, there are always multiple important Wednesday night games spread out throughout the season, but in rare fashion do we see a night that can impact NCAA Tournament hopes across the country.

Just think about it. Utah-San Diego State is for the Mountain West lead, probably the Mountain West regular season crown, and a probably at large bid in March. The winner moves to 8-2 and improves its seeding at this point while the loser falls a little farther towards the bubble.

Mississippi State-LSU is a forgotten battle for the SEC West lead. A lot of people have forgotten about the SEC this season, and rightfully so with it's disappointing teams from top to bottom. The key is that since the SEC expanded to two divisions in 1992 both divisions have sent at least one team to the NCAA Tournament every year. That means the winner of the SEC West is probably going to get a NCAA Tournament bid.

Penn State just recently fell out of my bracketology after its loss to Wisconsin on Sunday. Tonight they play Purdue, which is sliding without Robbie Hummel. Last time around Penn State won at home against the injury plauged Boilermakers. If Purdue keeps losing then their seed will keep falling. It's going to be interesting to see how the selection committee will evaluate Purdue's results without Hummel in the lineup if he returns and is playing at near 100% for the NCAA Tournament (not likely). The Nittany Lions need a win extremely bad.

Syracuse has went from one of the nation's best teams to a perennial bubble team in the Big East. If they lose again tonight they are firmly on the bubble and the sweat will start pouring down from Orange fans who remember missing the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. A win over #1 Connecticut will basically lock Syracuse in and shake up the entire country.

The Atlantic 10 is starting to look more and more like a one bid league unless Xavier loses in the conference tournament or unless Dayton can somehow improve its profile enough to steal an at large bid. The Flyers loss last week was disappointing, but a win tonight at home over Xavier would be huge for their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Remember the last time Tulsa played Memphis ? Antonio Anderson kept the Tigers long Conference USA winning streak alive with a buzzer beating layup. This time the Hurricanes travel to FedEx Forum. A win for Tulsa would put them on the bubble and give them slim at large hopes while a win for Memphis would keep their winning streak alive overall and in conference play.

Baylor can't afford another loss in Big 12 play, but tonight they play the Big 12's one monster. Oklahoma has loast only one game this season and is rolling towards a potential #1 seed. Winning in Waco won't be easy, and it will be interesting to see the Sooners (who haven't really been tested on the road this season) travel for a change.

Did I forgot one? Oh yea, there's some game going on at Cameron Indoor tonight. Duke-North Carolina ? Yes, that's the one. In all seriousness does it really get any better than this? I will answer my own question. No it doesn't. Tyler Hansbrough tries to win his fourth game in a row at Duke (which is unprecendented) while the Blue Devils try to show that last week's 27 point loss against Clemson was a fluke. Coach K has put point guard Greg Paulus back in the starting lineup. I think it's a great move, although I am glad to see a player like Paulus that never stopped fighting after he was benched. Now he's being rewarded for it.

I've actually held off from posting this lately due to CBS' picture editor being messed up. I'm just tired of waiting so here's the new power 16:

1. Connecticut Huskies (22-1) : The Huskies lone loss was to Georgetown, but I think the Huskies got the upper hand in the loss. How? Since that loss Connecticut is 11-0 with wins over Louisville, Michigan, and West Virginia. Georgetown is 3-8 with losses to Seton Hall, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame. Thanks Georgetown?

2. North Carolina Tar Heels (21-2): This is ridiculous isn't it? How is a two loss North Carolina ranked above a one loss Oklahoma? The Tar Heels have won seven straight games and has wins at Florida State & Michigan State. OU has not proven to me that they can win on the road just yet.

3. Oklahoma Sooners (23-1): Speaking of the Sooners, does anyone realize they haven't even PLAYED a top 25 team on the road just yet? Outside of Missouri, which may or may not be ranked by March 4th (my birthday) the Sooners don't have a single road game against a ranked team ahead of them either. I'm not taking anything away from OU, but winning on the road is just part of college basketball. In the NCAA Tournament you have to win games outside of the friendly confines of Norman, Oklahoma.

4. Pittsburgh Panthers (22-2): The Panthers just keep winning and honestly they appear to be one of the most well rounded teams in the entire country. Is it possible that a team ranked in the top five isn't getting enough national attention?

5. Duke Blue Devils (20-3): Number five!? How dare he? Why is Duke #5? Mainly because Duke has wins over Purdue, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Miami FL which are all tournament teams in my latest projection. The game against North Carolina will show whether or not Duke is ready for the big stage.

6. Michigan State Spartans (19-4): The Big Ten is loaded with NCAA Tournament teams, but there's only one most agree can actually win the national championship. Michigan State is that team. The Spartans have wins over Minnesota, Ohio State (won twice), Kansas, Penn State, and Illinois since January.

7. Louisville Cardinals (18-4): The Cardinals have rebounded very well since their rocky start. At 9-1 their lone loss in Big East play is to #1 Connecticut, which is pretty impressive. Regardless of seeding (1, 2, 3, or 4) nobody wants to play this team in the NCAA Tournament.

8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-3): The recent losses are discouraging but this stat still holds true. The Demon Deacons have wins over Clemson, Duke, and North Carolina this season, which is a very nice profile.

9. Memphis Tigers (20-3): I was more critical of Memphis than any other team I've seen this season earlier in the year. Now I am slowly coming around on this multi talented team. Still not a believer in Memphis? They have 14 straight wins and 50 straight Conference USA wins in a row.

10. UCLA Bruins (19-4): The Bruins are 8-2 in Pac 10 play, which is good enough for first place. Since their loss to Washington UCLA has won four straight games including their blowout win over Notre Dame on Saturday.

11. Marquette Golden Eagles (20-3): A lot people think the loss to South Florida showed the true identity of this Marquette team. I disagree. What will show their true identity is how they bounce back. Going to Villanova won't be easy coming off of their first Big East loss.

12. Clemson Tigers (19-3): The Tigers are a team I go back and forth on. How good are they? Well they beat Duke by 27 before allowing Florida State to come back from 19 points down for a win on Saturday.

13. Xavier Musketeers (20-3): Why is everyone so shocked by Xavier's loss to Duquense? The Musketeers make it easy to run through the A-10 like it's easy, but it's a lot harder than people think.

14. Villanova Wildcats (19-4): The Wildcats have won five straight games, a stretch where they have won games over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Providence. Their NCAA Tournament seed keeps rising higher and higher.

15. Missouri Tigers (21-4): What a comeback for Missouri to knock off Kansas in the Border War. The Tigers are for real and I called it in the preseason. I'm proud of that. Mike Anderson is one of the most under-appreciated coaches in the entire country.

16. Butler Bulldogs (21-2): The Horizon League isn't take it easy on Butler, but the Bulldogs keep taking the poundings and aside from the loss to UW-GB they keep winning. I can't figure out if the selection commitee is going to give a top 20 ranked Butler team a low seed like it did last season, or whether they will get more credit this time around.

Since Kentucky lost to Mississippi State, the winner of tonight's Florida-South Carolina game will lead the SEC East at the end of the night. Thanks to a great run to the end the first half Florida has a four point lead in Gainesville.

To updated a few things from earlier, Ohio State knocked off Purdue in overtime & Georgetown finished off Rutgers. North Carolina scored a measly 107 points on Maryland and looked like the best team in the country while doing it. Meanwhile Marquette-DePaul has went from a huge Golden Eagles lead to a close game at halftime.